Thread: IA: Illegal alien advocates to protest in Postville!

Immigration rally planned in Iowa meatpacking town
Jul 14 05:06 PM US/Eastern
By AMY LORENTZEN
Associated Press Writer
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Immigration reform advocates and religious leaders hope hundreds of people will descend on a small Iowa town this month for a rally in support of workers arrested in a large raid at a meatpacking plant.

Organizers are using the raid at the Agriprocessors Inc. kosher meatpacking plant in Postville on May 12 as an example of what's wrong with the nation's immigration laws. Federal officials have called it the largest single immigration raid in the nation's history.

The rally in Postville, population 2,200, is scheduled for July 27 and was organized by Jewish and Catholic groups from Iowa, Illinois and Minnesota.

"Our national immigration policies are tearing apart and hurting hardworking, taxpaying people who are just here trying to support their families," said Tom Walsh of the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs, a Chicago-based group helping organize the rally.

More than 175 families in Postville, including more than 500 children, "just lost not only their mother or father, but in many cases, the sole breadwinner for their homes," he said.

Most of the 389 workers arrested were charged with using false identification or incorrect Social Security numbers. Two plant supervisors were later charged with aiding and abetting the possession and use of fraudulent identification.

Authorities said some undocumented workers who were sole caregivers for children were allowed to return home with ankle bracelets that monitor their movement. However, immigrant reform advocates claimed those parents aren't able to find work and must rely on handouts.

"This enforcement-only approach creates massive human suffering, separation of families and economic dislocation," Gideon Aronoff, CEO of the New York-based Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, said earlier this month.

An spokesman for Agriprocessors—which before the raid produced about half of the nation's kosher beef and 40 percent of its kosher chicken—didn't immediately respond to a request for a comment.

An organization of American Orthodox Jews, Uri L'Tzedek, had called for a boycott of any businesses that sold the company's meat but backed off this month after Agriprocessors hired a former federal prosecutor as chief compliance officer.

The groups planning the immigration reform rally this month in Postville are St. Bridget's Catholic Church in Postville, Jewish Community Action of St. Paul, Minn., and the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs of Chicago. They promised testimony from people directly affected by the raid, as well as talk about immigration reform and workers' rights.

"This is a call for justice. This is a call to be faithful to our American and religious values," Sister Mary McCauley with St. Bridget's Catholic Church said in a statement. "This is a call to stand in solidarity with our Hispanic brothers and sisters."

Organizers are worried that the rally could draw too many supporters and are asking that anyone planning to attend register with their groups.

"It's so clear that the town has been devastated by the raid and they are reeling and they are trying to cope with it and trying to help the families cope with it," said Jane Ramsey, executive director of the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs. "We want to come out with a strong support, (but) we don't want to overwhelm the community."

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Organizers are using the raid at the Agriprocessors Inc. kosher meatpacking plant in Postville on May 12 as an example of what's wrong with the nation's immigration laws. Federal officials have called it the largest single immigration raid in the nation's history.

It's more like they will be simply confirming all that is wrong with the delay in securing our borders and the lack of manpower to conduct even more massive raids and other enforcement operations.

But please.....go right ahead. Protest if you must. It will anger even more Americans into taking action.

The rally in Postville, population 2,200, is scheduled for July 27 and was organized by Jewish and Catholic groups from Iowa, Illinois and Minnesota.


They really need to adjust that number. They lost a few hundred residents when ICE came to visit.


More than 175 families in Postville, including more than 500 children, "just lost not only their mother or father, but in many cases, the sole breadwinner for their homes," he said.


Talk to the parents about what THEY have done to their children, not us. They are the ones who broke the law, they chose to either bring children here with them or have them here as a means for their own selfish ends. They are solely responsible for whatever it is their children are going through, no one else.



Authorities said some undocumented workers who were sole caregivers for children were allowed to return home with ankle bracelets that monitor their movement. However, immigrant reform advocates claimed those parents aren't able to find work and must rely on handouts.


But they have no qualms whatsoever about living off the "handouts" in the form of welfare, food stamps, WIC, free medical care, housing subsidies, etc. do they?

I find it amusing that one of the big complaints in this is that the IAs who were arrested, have not been able to work. Well duh......you're illegally in this country. You do not have the right to work. That is why you are now in custody in the first place.

But again, this is not the problem of Americans or the US government. These people are criminals and so they shall pay the price. Theyshould at least have the dignity and self respect to admit that what they did was wrong and leave quietly.

"This enforcement-only approach creates massive human suffering, separation of families and economic dislocation," Gideon Aronoff, CEO of the New York-based Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, said earlier this month.


Ummmm.......no. Enforcement does not create massive human suffering. Millions of people with no right to be in this country cause their own human suffering.

Even now, the ones not smart enough to leave on their own while they still can are only asking for everything they eventually get.


Organizers are worried that the rally could draw too many supporters and are asking that anyone planning to attend register with their groups.

"It's so clear that the town has been devastated by the raid and they are reeling and they are trying to cope with it and trying to help the families cope with it," said Jane Ramsey, executive director of the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs. "We want to come out with a strong support, (but) we don't want to overwhelm the community."[/quote]



Oh, and since when has too many people showing up been a concern?

Is it the number of people that has them worried, or are they just afraid that ICE is going to show up and make another massive bust?

Is Agriprocessors Inc. behind the protest? It would be a huge conflict of interest.

Jewish leaders do not want their largest source of kosher meat in the U.S. to close so they too are looking after self interests. After reading reports of fecal covered chicken at Agriprocessors, food safety apparently isn't a priority.

OK Iowa patriots you need to have a counter rally.

Comments are being left at the source link.
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Postville Raid Prompts Immigration Reform Rally
By Becky Ogann

Story Created: Jul 14, 2008 at 5:31 PM CDT

Story Updated: Jul 14, 2008 at 5:31 PM CDT

DES MOINES (AP) - Immigration reform advocates and religious leaders from across the Midwest are planning a rally in northeast Iowa.

The July 27 rally will come about two months after a raid at a kosher meatpacking plant in Postville ended in nearly 400 arrests.

The rally was organized by Jewish and Catholic groups from Iowa, Illinois and Minnesota. It is expected to draw hundreds of people to the town of about 2,200 residents.

Organizers say they are using the raid at the Agriprocessors Inc. plant on May 12 as an example of what's wrong with the nation's immigration laws. Federal officials have called it the largest single immigration raid in the nation's history.

An Agriprocessors spokesman didn't immediately respond to a request for a comment.

http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/25443969.html